d development environment (IDE), plus tutorials, sample code, untold piles of documentation, and seven on-line books.
The entire documentation system is constructed as a Web site. In fact, to enter the documentation system, you have to double-click on an icon named "CodeWarrior Reference WebSite." All the documentation is in either HTML or PDF form. You probably won't need anything else to get going. The CD-ROM includes installable versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat reader.
DPE's documentation appears to be spread evenly among all its supported languages, although only one of the seven books (
The Java Programming Language Handbook
, from Coriolis Press) is Java specific. The language and compiler documentation includes both the Java language and Java virtual machine (VM) specifications. More specific to the CodeWarrior IDE is the included
Targeting Java
manual. Finally,
the complete Java API and Java Generic Library documents are supplied.
I have two complaints about
The Java Programming Language Handbook
. First, it's in Adobe Acrobat, and navigating through a book in this format can be an annoying pain. The Acrobat reader counts certain elements in a book, such as the cover, table of contents, and prefaces, as separate pages. But the
Handbook
's table of contents does not. Thus, there's no easy correlation between pages as Acrobat understands them and pages as the book's table of contents understands them.
This is exacerbated by the fact that the book is carved into multiple PDF files -- which leads to my second complaint. As a result, the table of contents becomes nearly unusable. For instance, if you're looking for a particular section, you have to guess which PDF file that section is in (and, since Acrobat pages don't match table-of-contents pages, your guess is usually off). The index is equally unusable, having been placed at the end of part 1
. (I discovered that by accident.)
Unfortunately, none of DPE's supplied tutorials is Java-specific. A mini-tutorial guides you through the CodeWarrior IDE, but the examples provided are for the Macintosh version. This can be distracting for someone working with the Windows version.
On a more positive note, examples for the
Handbook
are provided as separate, accessible projects that you can easily pull into the IDE. Even though much of the text in the
Handbook
is in 1.0-era Java, the examples provided are updates to the 1.1-level Java Development Kit (JDK).
At the bottom of the HTML link page for the book, you'll find links to each of the projects. If you click on a link, CodeWarrior copies the project file into the directory of your choice. (It works just as though you had selected a file for an FTP-style download from the Web.) Once the project file is on your system, double-clicking on that file opens the IDE.
Another positive aspect is the included Metrowerks IDE. But
be warned: This is a classic editor/compiler/debugger environment. And as good as the compiler and debugger are, there are no facilities for visual applet construction or drag-and-drop frame population.
The system requirements for the Windows version of DPE are remarkably modest. All you need is a 486-based system with at least 16 MB of RAM, Win 95 (or NT 4.0), and a CD-ROM drive. It ran comfortably on my 50-MHz 486. (The Mac version requires a 68020 or PowerPC 601, 16 MB of RAM, and System 7.1 or higher.)
I understand that the rapid evolution of Java standards makes it difficult to keep pace, and I applaud Metrowerks' updating of the examples from the
Handbook
. But updating the examples puts them out of sync with some of the material in the book, and that can be a little confusing.
Metrowerks says that the books provided on the CD-ROM are "previews," and the company recommends that if you find one of the on-line books useful, you should purchase a "real" copy of that book in deferen
ce to the author. I agree, but I would add that you should do so primarily to keep your sanity. Dealing with a book in Acrobat form is the antipode of fun.
The DPE is more useful as an introduction to basic Windows programming than Java programming (and, admittedly, this is how Metrowerks advertises it). The DPE is sold as a learning environment; an upgrade for commercial development costs an extra $449. Still, for only $79 you get that great CodeWarrior IDE. Go buy a couple of newer Java books, and you've got a great starter development system.
Where to Find
Metrowerks, Inc.
Austin, TX
Phone: 800-377-5416
Internet:
http://www.metrowerks.com
An
Uncertain Discovery
